Beyond Monochrome
by MaximumAlchemist
Summary: "Tell me, why do you hate me so much?"
1. Punishment

**Death Note…I love writing these fanfictions…**

**I'M STARTIN' A FRESH FANFIC (due to plot bunny attack)! It just wouldn't shut up, so I had to write it down to shoo it away. **

**I give to you…**

**Beyond Monochrome!**

**YAY!**

**Okay, enough chitchat. *Clears throat***

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

_Prologue _

The raven haired boy looked up from his book and glanced out his open bedroom door, seeing a fleeting shadow from down the hall.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his messy hair. _Oh, was she awake?_

He smiled at the thought of what he had in store in for her today. It would be…interesting. Interesting enough to kill a bit of boredom. Just a bit.

He rolled out of bed and stretched leisurely, his black T-shirt rising just above his navel. He dropped the novel on the floor, not even flinching when the hardcover book hit the wooden ground with a solid thud.

His nose stood on end. What was that wonderfully good smell?

His stomach was the one who answered. Breakfast.

He chuckled to himself. "Just you wait, Mono. I'm going to get you, right after I attack that strawberry jam toast."

He dashed out his room on silent fleeting feet, giving no one the thought that Beyond Birthday was out of his room.

_Section I_

_There she was. She doesn't suspect a thing. Bingo._

The shadowy haired girl was sitting outside, reading a thick paperback, silently humming a tuneless melody.

Mello stood in the glooms of the large oak tree behind her. Beyond smirked at him from the corner.

They had it all figured out—they had discovered a brand new 'HQ' behind the overgrown shrubbery just behind the orphanage. They had woven tree branches and weeds into very unobvious places—not too much, but just the right amount to fool people and conceal them. They placed cotton all around the base, along with plushy pillows and blankets, to muffle the sound. They even prepared a gag, just in case.

Just in case. He didn't want to hurt the girl _too much_.

To cover up evidence, they set up camouflage grass. They would step into the fake patches, the ones that wouldn't leave any evidential footprints. And it was in a convenient location, too. Nestled into a corner, the base was in the shadows now, since Wammy had installed a new shade over it now. There were no windows on the back wall.

Beyond blinked once, twice. That was a code they made up. Once meant 'wait', blinking twice meant 'on my mark'. Darting eyes to the left was '1, 2, 3', and looking right meant 'go'.

Mello darted out from behind the tree, advancing cautiously, hands ready.

The girl, unaware, turned the page, smiling.

Beyond's heart fluttered.

He hesitated…hesitated…hesitated…

Mello raised his hands, mouthing the words 'hey, come on!'

The girl blinked, then her head swiveled around to look at who was behind her. Her eyes widened partially, then narrowed in suspicion. She turned her head slowly, then rested her eyes on Beyond.

He swallowed, then dropped the stone in his hands. It fell to the earth with a loud _thud_.

Oops.

Mello opened his mouth to shout, but then closed it quickly. He lunged forward and grabbed her by her arms. She opened her mouth to scream, but Mello clamped his other hand over her mouth.

"Don't you dare speak. If you do, I'll dissemble your body, limb by limb, starting with those hands you love so much," he threatened.

She squirmed, helpless. She flailed, thrashing her feet wildly, kicking at nothing but air.

"C'mon, Beyond. Hurry up and finish her off," Mello growled from within his throat. He was struggling to keep hold of her, for she really was putting up a fight.

Beyond swallowed again, hard. He reached down slowly and picked up the stone, grasping it tightly.

He approached the frightened girl, his heart bouncing up and down uncontrollably and hands trembling. Mello released her mouth, just a little, two fingers ready to stuff down her throat if she started yelling.

"N-no…please…"she whimpered.

"Finish her…hurry up," Mello commanded in a harsh whisper. He was now smirking.

"N-no…"

He raised the stone, his arm numb.

"S-stop…"

He hesitated.

"NO!"

He brought the jagged rock down, hard. He felt it connect with innocent flesh, sending the rebound of a shockwave of guilt throughout his body, creating dissonance.

The girl cried out in pain, tears coming to her eyes.

Beyond raised the weapon once again, bringing it down with more force. He arm was now out of control, just stabbing and stabbing. He didn't know when to stop. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to.

He heart was now a jumble of emotions. Why was he doing this? Why?

_I hate her. I hate her amazing smile, her musical laugh, her kind caring heart. I detest her ebony hair, that monochromic hair. I just want to rip it all from her skull. I hate her eyes, those green eyes that sparkle like the beautiful emerald ocean in the myths. I hate everything about her. I HATE HER! _

Beyond felt a tear splatter against his cheek. He gritted his teeth, frustrated. _Why can't I get anything straight? _

The girl was on her knees now, gripping the bloodstained grass.

"P-please…stop…Beyond," she choked out.

He was now…well, _beyond _grief. He desperately wanted to stop, but he couldn't.

"O-oi, Beyond! Don't you think that's a bit too harsh?" Mello's voice shook. He was now ten feet away from them, backed into a tree. He'd never seen Beyond go that crazy.

"NO!"

Footsteps pounded on the grass, advancing towards them quickly.

"BEYOND!" a new voice shouted.

He stopped temporarily and turned, meeting the owner of the voice.

It was his black-eyed doppelgänger.

L.

"Get away from her, now!" he shouted, readying his fist.

Beyond wanted to do as he said, but his feet relented and forced his throat to do the work. Apparently, his vocal box had other plans, so it growled, "Fuck off, L."

L glared at him and started towards them.

"L, no!" the girl cried.

Too late.

The two lookalikes charged at one another, one with his left foot ready for a powerful kick and one gripping a jagged weapon from nature.


	2. Author's Note Special: Rest in Peace

**Okay, guys, I know this is a bit late, but…**

…**let's give our prayers to Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary, Connecticut, for all of the victims of the shootings. **

**Charlotte Bacon, 6**

**Daniel Barden, 7**

**Rachel D'Avino, 29**

**Olivia Engle, 6**

**Josephine Gay, 7**

**Dawn Hochsprung, 47**

**Dylan Hockley, 6**

**Madeline Hsu, 6 **

**Catherine Hubbard, 6**

**Chase Kowalski, 7**

**Jesse Lewis, 6**

**Ana Marquez-Greene, 6**

**James Mattioli, 6**

**Grace Audrey McDonnell, 7**

**Anne Marie Murphy, 52**

**Emilie Parker, 6**

**Jack Pinto, 6**

**Noah Pozner, 6**

**Caroline Previdi, 6,**

**Jessica Rekos, 6**

**Avielle Richman, 6**

**Lauren Gabrielle Rousseau, 30**

**Mary Sherlach, 56**

**Victoria Soto, 27**

**Benjamin Wheeler, 6,**

**Allison Wyatt, 6**

**Let's pray for these lost souls in the terrible massacre of Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary. **

**And to mention: Nancy Lanza, 52, the mother of the shooter. May she rest in peace as well.**

**On a happier note, winter break is upon us. So now there is no school, I will have more time to update my stories, so look forward to that.**

**That is all, for now. **


	3. Revisit the Past

**I have a cold. –sneeze-**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

Time seemed to slow down as the two warriors-in-training leapt into combat.

_Just one move, _they thought.

They strained their muscles, to force strength into one move. One move.

One move.

One move will determine the winner.

_He who strikes first always wins. In this case, both strike first, so one move will determine all, _L thought.

_Add strength in one blow—the first move will be yours, and so will victory, _Beyond alleged.

One move.

Beyond raised his rock, bringing it down in a hard downward arc. _I will beat you, L Lawliet!_

L readied his foot to deliver his verdict. _Justice will prevail, Beyond Birthday!_

They brought their attacks in close.

Three millimeters…

Two millimeters…

One millimeter…

Half a millimeter…

One fourth of a millimeter…

So close.

So very, very, _very, _close.

They were two air atoms away from each other (I know right, author is on jacked-up crack mode), when Beyond suddenly stopped. I mean, he was stopped by someone.

Time froze around him. L's foot was positioned in mid-kick. The trees and clouds hung still. The wind stopped blowing. The world in fact, felt like it was in a complete standstill, the earth no longer revolving nor rotating, the moon stopped wherever it was, the entire universe on pause.

Except for him and a pair of arms wrapped around him.

He slowly turned, looking down at a beat-up Monochrome.

"W-what are you doing?! L-let go of me, you freak!" He tried to shake her off, pummeling her with his free hand. He was secretly blushing under his skin, since this was the first time she'd dared to lay a finger on him.

The girl's eyes were shut, tears leaking out of the corners. "N-no! I won't!"

"LET GO, BITCH!"

"NO! YOU CAN CALL ME WHATEVER YOU WANT, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, BUT I WON'T LET YOU HARM L!"

Beyond could've sworn that his heart stopped beating right then and there as he recalled the past times he'd tried to hurt his doppelgänger.

"_No, Birthday! Don't touch him!"_

"_You won't hurt L! I won't let you!"_

"_Go away, big jerk! You won't hurt him!"_

"_Shoo! Go bother Mello or Matt! They're your friends, right?"_

"_Fuck off, dumbass!"_

"_Go rot in hell, son of a bitch!"_

Beyond's heart pierced with agonizing pain as his eye welled up with tears from the past.

It wasn't fair.

_They study together all the time. They do everything together _(no, they don't shower or go to the bathroom together. They…don't sleep together…)_, they're always inseparable. She acknowledges him. She likes him. She adores him. She loves him. _

_She hates me._

He pushed her away, running as fast as he could, blood pounding in his ears.

He disappeared around a corner, away from sight but near for eavesdropping. He peeked around the corner and saw through his blurry red eyes:

"_Here, are you okay, Mono?" L asked, taking her arms. _

"_I'm fine…I guess…ow…stupid scar…"_

_Mono stood uneasily, wobbling on her legs. L's arms were supporting her._

"_T-thanks…"_

"_Here, can you walk?"_

"_I'm fine, thanks for the concern—ow!" _

"_A-are you okay, Mono? Mono! Damn it, I'll go get Watari…"_

"_No…it's fine. No need to bother Watari with this."_

"_You push your limits too much. You'll get high-blood pressure if you keep that up. C'mon, let's go get you help."_

"_Thanks, Lawliet."_

"_No prob, Shiroi."_

Beyond shivered at her real name. It was disturbing…weird…unlike her. Shiroi. It just…doesn't seem…right.

_Flashback: Five years ago_

"_H-hi…"_

_Everyone stopped playing momentarily and stared at the little girl clutching Wammy's hands. _

"_I-I'm…" she faltered._

_Wammy smiled down at her and patted her hand gently and gave her an encouraging nod. _

_She swallowed nervously and started chewing her index finger. _

"_Who's the new girl?" a tall and lean boy started forward. "Name? Identity?" he barked. _

"_Um…"_

"_Come on, don't make us stand here all day, brat."_

"_M-Mo..."_

_Someone snickered in the crowd, along with some giggles. _

"_Mono…"_

_The kids laughed. The only ones that remained silent were his twin and him._

"_Moro? That's a boy's name!" Shelley, whose name really was Sherlock, teased._

_The girls were laughing and giggling. "What a weirdo!"_

_The boys looked smug and happy—another victim._

"_I said, 'Mono'!, not Moro! My name's Monochrome!"_

_The girls stopped giggling abruptly. _

"_Monochrome? Isn't that black and white?" Vivi (Evelyn) asked. _

_Beyond paused. Monochrome…? That was different from the name he saw floating above her head…the name that he saw was Shiroi…Shiroi…and nothing else. Her real name was Shiroi. _

_That was it. _

_White. How nice. Her name was White. Beyond liked her hair—it was dark black, like the murky depths of death, but if she turned just the right angle, the sun would shine down on her, streaks of her hair were dyed a brilliant white color. _

_Monochrome. That name. It made sense. White. Black. Monochrome. _

_Her green eyes burning…with a light that didn't match. _

_It was thirsty. _

_It was blood thirsty._

_It was hungry._

_It was vengeance hungry. _

_It was upset._

_It was melancholy. _

_It was angry._

_It was enraged._

_It was in pain._

_It was in agony._

_It was crazy._

_It was insane._

_It wanted revenge. _

_Beyond stared as the calm, beautiful, pale face sustain a chilly poker face while all of her emotions boiled in her eyes like magma curling around the underground chambers of the earth._

"_Now, now, everyone. Be nice to Mono here. She's had a terrible past, and she doesn't need to be reminded of it," Watari explained sternly. _

_Everyone was silent._

"_What happened?" Vivi asked._

_Watari shook his head. "Not now, Vivi. Some other time. We do not speak of this matter in front of Monochrome. She needs rest."_

_Vivi pouted. "Why not? It's not going to kill her or anything. I mean, come on! Be real!"_

_Watari opened his mouth to tell her something, but then Mono screamed, "NO! DON'T TELL HER! NOBODY!" she screamed and sunk to the ground, clutching her head with both hands._

"_Mono! Calm down!" Watari said worriedly. _

"_So red…so, so red…smells…burns…bodies…the bodies…night…red moon that night…stars…there were no stars…death…smell of death…bodies…staring at me…kill…blood…"_

_She stood uneasily, knees trembling. When she looked up, her mouth was split open into a psychotic grin. Blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth. _

"_H-hey everyone…did you know…your blood is red? Red? Such a pretty color! A beautiful shade of scarlet! Ripe as an apple!" she laughed, screaming in agonizing bliss. _

_The children screamed and ran. They scrambled into the house so fast that the entire front yard of Wammy's Orphanage was deserted except for the girl, Watari, L, and himself. _

_The girl's gale died down and she fell towards the earth, her eyes closing._

_She was asleep._

_Watari sighed in relief. _

"_Watari! What happened to her? Why did she say all those things?" L asked, running up to the man. Beyond followed, curious. _

_Watari looked at the two boys, trying to decide to tell them or not. _

_Finally, he said, "Boys, every five years, on this very day, a red moon comes out. For some odd reason, this girl, she has a reaction to it. That is all we know. Do not tell anyone else about this. Swear it on your life, for the sake of this girl." _

_L remained a perfectly poker face, while Beyond felt some sort of spasm twitch across his face. _

"_R-right…" they both said. _

"_Boys, do not take this lightly. You may NOT tell anyone else this. I told you this just because I trust you two."_

_Pffft, more like, trust L more, but I was here, so you didn't have a choice, but if you caught me telling anyone else, L would've been there to beat the shit out of me, Beyond thought. _

"_We promise," L muttered, looking at the ground. Did he know something?_

_Time Skip: Later that night, 11:37 PM_

_Soft footsteps tiptoed down the hall, padding past the sleeping children's rooms. _

_Beyond heard the slightest creak of a door opening. Curious, he inched off his bed and waited for the noise to subside, then following them out. _

_He squinted down the dark hallway, barely noticing the dark outline of a figure. If it weren't for the name and numbers floating above the silhouette, he would've never known that L Lawliet was right in front of him, tailing someone. _

_Beyond raised his guard of not being caught. This is L here…don't get cocky. _

_The front door opened, and a cold breeze swept in, and Beyond caught the sight of a blood red moon shining brightly overhead. Below it, a girl with a fleeting red jacket wrapped around her darted out the orphanage. _

_L hunched forward and ran silently after her. _

"_The heck…?" Beyond murmured, following suit. _

_He stepped outside, blinking in the bright scarlet light the moon was casting. He stepped behind an old bush and crept to a corner, perfect for spying and eavesdropping for a long distance. _

_He caught the name and numbers of the girl, who was now walking briskly down the unused trail to the dark looming forest that was strictly forbidden. _

_Shiroi, 123178 _

_Her lifeline…there wasn't much left…_

"_Hey!" L whispered/yelled. _

_She whipped around, and Beyond's heart almost leapt out his throat._

_Her eyes…they were a beautiful shade of bright, bloody crimson. _

_Just like his._

"_H-hey…" L's voice faltered as he caught sight of her._

_Mono's eyes widened slightly. "What are you doing?" she snarled._

"_You're past curfew hours. The orphanage doesn't allow children to be out of bed past ten," L's voice repositioned itself back to its monotone state. _

"_Fuck the rules. I can't let this chance slip away. And aren't you out of bed too?" she spat back._

_L struggled for a smart aleck reply, but no such luck. He couldn't argue with this point of justice. So he said, "Why are you heading towards the forest? It's forbidden. And your eyes…"_

_Mono's eyes narrowed. "Because. Mind your own fucking business. And there's nothing wrong with my eyes."_

"_Yes, they're red."_

"_Well, duh. They're SUPPOSE to be." _

"_No, they're not. They're green."_

"_Lies."_

"_No, it's true."_

"_Liar! They're red, and that's their natural color."_

"_Nobody has red eyes…except one boy…"_

"_So? Isn't he human too? He's not a 'nobody'. He's a 'somebody'."_

"_Well, from the point of science…it's probably some birth defect."_

_Monochrome shook her head in disbelief. "You humans…are all the same. Arrogant, stupid, pathetic and weak," she muttered. _

"_Excuse me?! But aren't you human too?"_

"_HELL NO!"_

"_Now I'm lost! What the fuck are you, a freak?"_

_Monochrome was stunned momentarily, then glared at him, her being in a world of hurt. _

"_Call me whatever you want, but things won't ever change. That's how I am—a freak," she murmured, her voice quivering, no longer in that bossy manner. Now it was back to the shy and scared nature. She wiped a tear away with her sleeve and turned her back._

_L swallowed. "No! That's not what I meant…" He started forward and reached out to her, but she smacked his had away. _

"_Don't touch me, human!" she whispered fiercely. _

"_Please, Monochrome! What's bothering you? Tell me!" L pleaded. He grabbed her sleeve, despite her protests of flailing and punching. _

_Mono finally relented and sat down on a large boulder on the edge of the forest. "It's no use. Even if I tell you, you won't be able to help me."_

"_Please! If I don't even know what it is, how am I supposed to tell if it's out of my ability?!" L demanded._

_Mono sighed quietly. "Why would you care? Why would a human care? You're not affected. Why even bother?" she asked. _

"_Because I want to be your friend!" _

_These words hit Monochrome hard. She sat still for a long time, then eyed him warily. "Fine. I'll tell you, but in return, you better not tell anyone else or else you're going to be in a world of hurt," she warned. _

_L nodded. "I promise."_

_Monochrome took a deep breath, then said, very quietly that Beyond had to strain his ears to hear, "On this very day, October 21, five years ago, my parents were killed. A better way to put it is, 'murdered'. We were sleeping together, like all of our kind on this day."_

_L nodded. _

"_The moon was red, like this one. It was quiet, like it normally was. Everything was normal."_

_She took another deep and trembled. _

"_But then, the temperature dropped to about twenty-eight degrees below freezing. There was a howl, and the room became very, very dark. There was no light, except for the full red moon."_

_She stopped, then wiped a tear away._

"_What happened?" L persisted._

"_There were shadows—big ones. My parents awoke and got in front of me, protecting me. Something—something huge got in. It was black and dark—like death itself. Its eyes were red and glowing."_

_She clutched her shoulder in fear._

"_Then?" L asked. _

"_We had a staring contest. It was glowering—monstrous. Then—then it attacked. It was fast. It tore through my parents' bodies. Blood sprayed everywhere—the entire room was dyed red."_

_L looked sick and saddened. _

"_It proceeded to e-eat the corpses. I was afraid and alone. I couldn't save my loved ones. I was angry. I attacked it. Of course, it was no use. I was flung to the wall. The monster turned to me—and—"_

"_And…?" _

"_I thought I was going to die. He stalked towards me. Then—he stopped. We waited for something. Then he pounced. He was going easy—he grazed deeply into my shoulder, almost taking off my left arm. If it weren't for the strong bone, I would've lost a limb. He then turned his back on me—and left. He melted into the shadows. Just like that."_

_L clenched his fist. "What the…?"_

"_I was left to tend to the half-eaten carcasses of my only family. On that day, under bloodstained moon, I swore that I would slay the beast with my hands, avenging my parents' death." _

_L swallowed. "But…who was that monster? Did he have a name?"_

_Monochrome nodded, her eyes steeled, tears streaming down her face. "Yes. That was Zero, slave of death, chained to a cross for eternity, tortured for blood. Every five years on this day, he comes for vengeance, slaughtering my species to extinction." _

_L was quiet for a long time. "What is your type's name?" he muttered. _

_Shiroi paused, then smiled sadistically. "We are…the bloodsuckers…and what you humans would call 'vampires'." _


End file.
